Green Spaces and Education

President Venustiano Carranza, the 44th President of Mexico, stayed at 1108 North Flores St while in exile with his niece, Celia Carranza Cepeda de Trevino. The house was built in 1914 and was a central point in San Antonio in organizing the course of the Mexican Revolution and their plans for the future. Legend has it that he wrote part of the Constitution of 1917 at this address. The home of Celia Carranza hosted many social and cultural events for powerful Mexicans that had been exiled. Guests to this home included Leonides Gonzalez, the general manager of La Prensa newspaper. La Prensa newspaper is still in existence today and reaches the Latino community in San Antonio on a daily basis. President Carranza also served as the Primer Jefe, the First Chief of the Constitutionalists factions from 1914 to 1917. He also was elected and served as a Senator and Governor for Coahuila. President Carranza was assassinated during the Mexican Revolution in 1920. For more historical information on President Carranza, visit https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=176137

At Cotton Academy, we believe that all students deserve a well-rounded education grounded in a student-centered approach. We meet the individual needs of the whole child through differentiated instruction. Developing our students’ critical-thinking and problem- solving skills are only two factors captured within our academic program. The combination of a challenging instructional program and exceptional extracurricular programs cultivates a learning environment where students succeed both academically and socially. We educate all students by providing bilingual/dual language, gifted and talented, English as a Second Language and special education services to eligible students.

Twain is one of the eight original SAISD pioneer junior high schools which opened in 1923. At that time, the mascot was the Mark Twain Tornados. In August 2017, SAISD opened up the Mark Twain Dual Language Academy, offering students the opportunity to become fluent in both English and Spanish. The academy adopted a new mascot to reflect its dual language focus: Los Lobos.

Beacon Hill Elementary School has had several name changes. The school was first named Roberts - Beacon Hill Elementary after Governor Roberts, and opened in 1908. It was a two room brick building with a wooden fence around the playground. Oran Milo Roberts was born July 9th, 1815 in South Carolina. Roberts didn’t go to school, so he was educated at home until he was 17. Then he entered and graduated from the University of Alabama. Governor O. M. Roberts served the public through government as judge, librarian, district attorney and governor. He was the first governor following the Civil War who was an advocate for free public education. Oran Milo Roberts died in Austin on May 19th, 1898. In 1999, a new schoolhouse was constructed and the title was Beacon Hill Elementary School. It is a perfect place to learn. It has thirty classrooms, a music room, library, science lab, computer lab, school cafeteria, two garden areas, and separate gym.

Woodlawn Lake was the dream of real estate developers in the 1880s who wanted to build West End, a residential subdivision on San Antonio’s rural west side. It was George W. Russ, president of the Rhode Island-based West End Town Company, who saw great potential in the flat pasture on Alazan Creek and made the dream come true. To attract residents, the creek was dammed to create West End Lake, which some reports say was as large as 80 acres. (Today it is about 30 acres.) Visitors traveled by street car to enjoy what was called “the finest artificial lake in the south.” Electric lights (still new at that time) illuminated the lake where visitors danced in an outdoor pavilion and rowed in small boats. In later years there were outdoor movies and vaudeville acts. The lake and surrounding land were privately owned until 1918 when they were deeded to the City. The name was changed to Woodlawn Lake and many improvements and additions were made to the 62-acre park in the next 79 years. Today, after more than 100 years, Woodlawn Lake remains a popular gathering spot for visitors from throughout San Antonio. Residents use a walking trail daily, fish from the boat dock, and swim at the pool. In the late 1990s the park became the site of the city’s annual Fourth of July celebration, complete with fireworks and a parade. It continues to draw enormous crowds each year.

At the Young Women’s Leadership Academy, they teach young women responsible leadership and effective decision-making that contributes to their overall well-being. They believe these are integral components to their educational and personal success. While receiving a well-rounded college preparatory education, our young women experience lessons that integrate math, science, and technology across the curriculum.

The Jefferson Community Garden is a space for the residents of the Jefferson and Monticello Park neighborhoods in San Antonio, Texas. Through a generous donation from SAID, Jefferson High School, the land and water supply are provided. The Jefferson Community Garden mission is to educate and encourage the community to become more ecologically aware of the importance of land and water conservation. Through sharing experiences, we are building a strong foundation. Sharing is the most gratifying and important aspect of the garden. Recently, they have been able to produce over 60 pounds of organic fresh vegetables for the community. The two orange trees on the property produced over 8 pounds of oranges that were donated to local food pantries.

The Martinez Creek is part of the Westside creek system of San Antonio undergoing a ecosystem restoration effort. The greenway is one of the measures to bring residents of the adjacent neighborhoods back to the previously neglected creek. The multi-use trail is just over a half-mile of concrete on the east bank of the channel. A trailhead with parking sits at the mouth of the greenway on Cincinnati Ave. and the trail can be used as an alternative means to get to Frederickburg Street, where they can connect to the bus line.

The mission of Woodlawn Academy is to serve the community by developing inquiring, knowledgeable, life-long learners by providing a rigorous environment for learning.

Thomas Jefferson High School is located in northwest San Antonio, Texas. The school occupies 33 acres adjacent to the intersection of Wilson Boulevard and Donaldson Avenue. It is named for Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, founder of the University of Virginia, and main author of the Declaration of Independence.

The Beacon Hill Community Garden began in 2008 with a grant from Green Spaces Alliance. With the help of dedicated volunteers, garden beds were built from recycled concrete, soil was brought in, and an herb garden, butterfly garden, vegetable beds, cactus garden and native grasses were planted. Besides providing beautification for the neighborhood, the garden has become a setting for education, recreation, social gatherings, and gives those who work and walk through it a sense of connection to the environment. The committee organizes monthly workdays and other garden events. Free plots are available.

Alta Vista Garden has been growing food and beautifying the neighborhood since 2012 in downtown San Antonio! Fresh Food & Community! Agarita & N.Flores.

The San Pedro Library collection consists of about 26,000 items, including books, DVDs, music CDs, audiobooks and periodicals. The library serves neighborhood children, young adults and adults with materials and programming.

San Pedro Springs Park—San Antonio’s oldest designated park— is located on land reserved for public use by the Spanish government in the 18th century. Only one public park in America is older— Boston Common, which dates to 1630. People have gathered around the springs and creek that originate here for some 12,000 years. Hunter-gatherers found water, food, and rock to fashion weapons, and Spanish explorers first established their camps here in the late 17th century. In 1709, Fathers Antonio de San Buenaventura de Olivares and Isidro Felix de Espinosa named the waters “San Pedro springs.” Historians agree that San Antonio’s earliest permanent settlement, a presidio and mission, were founded in 1718 near San Pedro springs, though its exact location is unproven. When the settlement was moved farther south in the 1720s, the springs continued to provide water to the new community. In 1731-34, the Spanish constructed an acequia to carry water to town for irrigation and household use.